Treatment of tobacco for the removal of nicotin.



TREATMENT OF TOBAGOO FOR THE REMOVAL OF NIGOTIN.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.28, 190s.

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I Jwsa/r PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905.

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KARL WIMMER, OF BREMEN'GERMANY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24:, 1905.

Application filed December 28, 1903- Serial No. 186,387.

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, KARL VVIMMER, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Bremen, Germany, (Whose post-office address is 24: Sogestrasse, Bremen, Germany,) have invented an Improvement in the Treatment of Tobacco for the Removal of Nicotin, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has for its object to extract nicotin from 'tobacco without depriv-- ing the tobacco of its valuable constituents.

If tobacco is treated with water, alcohol, ether, or other known solvents of nicotin the substances which determine the perfume and combustibility of the tobacco enter into solution along with the nicotin. In order to avoid the loss of these constituents, I first remove the nicotin from the liquid extract and then add the residual constituents of the extract again to the tobacco. For this purpose the liquid coming from the extractor containing the tobacco may be caused to pass first through a series of receptacles containing the substances necessary for binding or precipitating the nicotin and then conducted to a still adapted to evaporate the solvent, which is then.

caused to again enter the extractor and utilized for the extraction of the tobacco. The solvent thus performs a continuous circuit by passing first through the extractor containing the tobacco, from which it extracts nicotin and other constituents, then through the absorption vessels, in which the nicotin is given otf, then through the still, and, finally, again to the extractor.

The accompanying diagram Figure 1 indicates an example of an extraction and recovery plant which may be used for carrying out my process. Fig. 2 indicates an alternative construction, as hereinafter described.

' A indicates the extractor, which is charged with the tobacco and the extracting liquid.

1, 2, 3, and 4: are a series of precipitating or absorption vessels serving to remove the nicotin from the liquid extract, and B indicates the still, which receives the extract from the vessel 4 and from which the vapor of the solvent ascends again into the extractor through a pipe d.

The liquid extract is allowed to flow from the extractor through a pipe (0 into the first absorption vessel 1, which is placed at a lower level and contains a substance adapted to absorb or precipitate nicotin. After having passed through this vessel in an upward direction the extract is allowed to flow from the top through a pipe Z) to the bottom of the sec- 1 0nd vessel 2, similar to the first and serving to absorb or precipitate a further quantity of nicotin, then to the third and to the fourth vessel, all of which contain a substance or substances adapted to absorb or precipitate nicotin from the extract. From the top of the fourth vessel a pipe 0 leads the extract to the still B, as mentioned above.

The process may be simplified by utilizing the still for the removal of the nicotin from the extract, the substances necessary for the purpose being added to the extract contained in the still. By another modification (indicated by Fig.

2) the extractor may be mounted above the still and separated from the latter only by a pair of sieves or strainers, the upper strainer carrying the tobacco and the lower one the precipitant or absorbent for nicotin. In that case the extracting liquid which has been in contact with the tobacco descends through the upper sieve to the lower sieve, where it leaves the nicotin, and then descends through thesieve into the still. In the modification represented by Fig. 2, A represents the extraction-chamber; B, the still, heated by a steam-coil 7). separated from the extraction-chamber by a sieve f, and from the still by a sieve g. The liquid passing through the sieve g descends into the still, and the vapors generated in the latter ascend into the extraction-chamber. When the extraction has continued long enough, the tobacco is impregnated with the liquid which has been relieved of nicotin, but retains the other substances extracted from the tobacco, preferably by pouring the said liquid over the tobacco, for which purpose the quantity of liquid should as arule be sufficient for completely submerging the tobacco.

After about an hour or more, during which time the extracted substances diifuse back into the cells of the tobacco, the liquid is drawn off and the tobacco is dried.

The substance for absorbing the nicotin must of course be chosen according to the solvent used for extraction. If water is used as a solvent, tannic acid, molybdic acid, salts or double salts of tungstic or phosphoric acid, compounds of the heavy metals, and other means for precipitating nicotin or other alkaloids may be employed. If volatile solvents or ethers, such as sulfuric ether or petroleum ether, are used for extraction, charcoal,(which absorbs nicotin,) alone or with other mechan- C is the absorption-chamber,

' hydrochloric acid, oxalic acid-which yield mately in the same salts of nicotin insoluble in ether may be used. Acidulated water and other liquids may also be used as absorbents.

The tobacco treated according to the present invention is practically free from nicotin, but contains the substances on which the per fume and combustibility depend approxitobacco.

What I claim is 1. The process for relieving tobacco of nicotin without losing its valuable constituents, which consists in treating the tobacco with a solvent adapted to extract the nicotin, subsequently relieving the liquid extract thus obtained of nicotin, then impregnating the tobacco treated as described with the extract remaining after the removal of the nicotin, and finally drying the tobacco, substantially as described.

2. The process for relieving tobacco of nicotin= without losing its valuable constituents,

which consists in treating the tobacco with a solvent adapted to extract the nicotin, subsequently relieving the liquid extract thus obtained of nicotin, recovering the solvent by distillation, reintroducing the solvent thus requantities as the original covered into the extractor for repeated treatment of the tobacco contained in the same, repeating this cycle of operations until the tobacco is sufiiciently free of nicotin, subsequently impregnating the tobacco with liquid tobacco extract which has been relieved of nicotin, and finally drying the tobacco, substantially as described.

3. The process for relieving tobacco of nicotin Without losing its valuable constituents, which consists'in subjecting the tobacco to a suitable solvent in an extracting vessel, then conducting the solvent or extract through a series of absorption vessels containing a substance suitable to absorb or precipitate the nicotin, then conducting the liquid thus treated to a still, distilling off the solvent, conduct- I ing the solvent vapors again to the extracting vessel, repeating this cycle of operations until the tobacco is sufiiciently free of nicotin, then impregnating the tobacco with the extracting liquid which has passed through the absorption vessels, and finally drying it, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

' KARL WIMMER Witnesses:

A. W. HOYERMANN F. REIoH. 

